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Stanford firmly held onto its number two ranking in the 2011 Poets&Quants’ analysis, though the school lost some very slight ground in two of the five most influential rankings of the year. In Forbes’ new biennial survey, which ranks schools on the basis of return-on-investment, Stanford slipped one spot to second from first. And when The Economist look its latest look at MBA programs on a global basis, the school also dropped one place to eighth from seventh in 2010. With a brand new world-class campus that makes it easier to implement new curriculum changes that allow for more small group group, the school has never been in better shape.

The first-year MBAs show up on Thursday evenings and settle into the living room of the dean’s home. They’re greeted by Turtle, an outrageously friendly black lab, who “makes his rounds sniffing and wagging his tail,” says Dean Garth Saloner. Soon enough, the dean leads a 90-minute session, engaging the 16 students in debate over a provocative issue before a casual dinner in his home.

The question: “What should Google do in China?” Over the course of the next seven weeks, the group will tackle and debate a wide range of divisive questions, from how credit-rating agencies should be regulated by the government to what responsibilities corporations have to society.

The course is an innovative small-group seminar called Critical Analytical Thinking (CAT), part of a new and radical curriculum at Stanford. The goal is to improve students’ reasoning and argument building skills so that MBAs ask the right questions, be more critical, work out the logic behind arguments, and ultimately uncover hidden assumptions. For each session, students write a three-page paper–roughly 1,000 words–that they turn in late Wednesday evening. Saloner has already read and graded the papers and knows where everyone in the group stands.

The fact that the dean of Stanford teaches two of these sections at his own home and participates in the teaching of another course, “Women’s Perspectives on Entrepreneurship,” tells you a lot about Stanford these days. The school has always fostered a close-knit community of students and faculty, known more for its collaborative style than sharp-elbowed competition, but the new curriculum and Saloner’s rise as dean reaffirms the school’s intimate scale.

“I love to teach,” says Saloner, with a slight South African accent. “I always loved to teach, and in Critical Analytical Thinking, the teacher becomes the adviser to these students. By taking two sections, I’m exposed to 10% of the class. It helps me to keep my pulse on the school and what MBAs are thinking.”

Thank you for the wonderful article on Stanford. It’s the only school that is worth the tuition.

http://poetsandquants.com/members/jbyrne/ John A. Byrne

Thanks Jim. Appreciate that.

MBA_2013

John,

This is truly amazing insight. Are you planning on doing more of these? Would love to see similar articles on at least the top 5.

Roshni

This is wonderful information. Thank you for this. Was wondering if you would be extending this to include similar details from the other schools. Some insight into the new Wharton curriculum would be particularly helpful.

http://poetsandquants.com/members/jbyrne/ John A. Byrne

Roshni,
Yes, over time.

zahid

what’s the median salary?

is it monthly or yearly?

Md. Musfikur Rahman

Is there any possibility to get scholarship for the MBA ? If then what:’s the percent and how i get that?

http://poetsandquants.com/members/jbyrne/ John A. Byrne

Md.,

Yes. There is a lot of scholarship money out there and the best schools compete hard for student talent. See our recent story at just how hard this competition has become and how much some schools are giving away: The New B-School Arms Race for the Best & Brightest. These awards vary by both merit and need and it’s completely up to the schools to decide who gets money and who doesn’t. You simply have to apply to a school, get in and make sure they know you will need help. The ball is then in their court, not yours.